Photographic slide container and viewer combination



April 21, 1959 l. H. FOWLE PHOTOGRAPHIC SLIDE CONTAINER AND VIEWER COMBINATION Filed June 13, 1958 I Y B J A TTORNEVS State PHOTOGRAPHIC SLIDE CONTAHWER AND VIEWER COMBINATION Irving H. Fowle, Binghamton, N.Y., assignor to General Aniline & Film Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 13, 1958, Serial No. 741,965

Claims. (Cl. 40-1061) This invention relates to containers and, more particularly, to packaging of photographic transparencies or slides.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a sturdy container which accommodates slides in stacked relationship and also includes a simple viewer as part of the structure.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a relatively inexpensive packaging device for photographic slides including a viewer which can be manufactured and merchandized at low cost.

It is a feature of the invention that the cover of the container is so related to the body portion thereof as to form, when opened, a base for supporting the body portion and viewer at an angle most convenient for viewing and illuminating the slides.

Other objects and features will be apparent from the following description of the invention, pointed out in particularity in the appended claims and taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the container with the cover closed;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the container with the cover partially open;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view with the cover fully opened and serving as a support;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the container with the cover fully opened; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along lines A-A of Fig. 3.

Referring to the figures, the container is a simple, rectangular, box-like structure which may be made of inexpensive cardboard material used for packaging and shipping. It consists of a tray 7 having a bottom 8, front wall 9, back wall 10 and side walls 11 and 12. A cover 13, similarly constructed, fits over the tray so as to partially cover the sides thereof. Partitions 15 and 16, running parallel to the side walls 11 and 12, divide the tray into three substantially equal compartments. Of these, the compartments adjacent the side walls 11 and 12, respectively, provide storage for the slides 18 in stacked relationship.

For the sake of illustration, only a few slides are shown in the compartments to indicate the manner in which they are packaged.

The middle compartment formed between the partitions 15 and 16 defines a simple viewer and consists of a trough-like insert 20 having a bottom portion sloping from the top edge of the wall 10 to the bottom 8 of the tray 7, and triangularly-shaped side walls 24 nesting against the partitions 15 and 16, respectively. The insert 20 is covered with a reflecting substance such as aluminum 2,882,628 Patented Apr. 21, 1959 foil or the like, the purpose being to gather light from the surrounding area and reflect it onto the light diffusing screen 21. The latter consists of a sheet of frosted plastic material imbedded in a perpendicular frame 22 placed at the point where the panel 20 engages the bottom 8. The front Wall 9 has an opening 23 and the frame 22 has a slot 25 for inserting the slide 26 for viewing purposes.

The cover 13 is hinged to the bottom edge of the front wall 9 whereby, when the container is fully opened, it will serve as a support constraining the body member to assume a sloping position at an angle which permits convenient viewing of a slide placed in the slot 25. In this position, the reflector 20 will gather the most light to be reflected onto the diffusing screen 21 and thus illuminate the slide 26.

In the fully opened position, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the container assumes a most convenient position for holding the slides by gravity in a stacked relationship so as to permit manipulation by the user in taking any one of the slides out of the stack and inserting it into the simple viewing device.

I claim:

1. A combined container and viewer for photographic slides comprising a substantially rectangular open-top tray having a bottom, front, back and side walls, partitions dividing said tray into a plurality of compartments, certain of which provide storage for said slides in stacked relationship and another of said compartments defining a viewer including an opening in said front wall, a slide holder together with light diffusing and reflecting means whereby any of said slides in said storage compartments may be inspected by being placed in said holder and a cover for said tray hinged at a point below the top thereof and adapted, upon being opened and placed on a level surface, to support said tray at an angle convenient for the viewing of slides and for gathering light to be reflected onto said diffusing means.

2. A container and viewer in accordance with claim 1 wherein said partitions divide said housing into three substantially equal compartments, the center compartment of which defines said viewer and the others providing storage for slides.

3. A container and viewer in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cover is hinged near the bottom edge of said front wall, covering, when closed, said opening and the top of said tray.

4. A container and viewer in accordance with claim 1 wherein said light reflecting means in said viewer comprises an insert having a bottom portion sloping from the top edge of said back wall to the bottom of said tray and side walls resting against said partitions, and being covered with a light reflecting substance such as aluminum foil.

5. A container and viewer in accordance with claim 1 wherein said light diflusing means in said viewer comprises a frame including a sheet of frosted plastic material placed adjacent said holder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 580,024 Whiting Apr. 6, 1897 765,219 Whiting July 19, 1904 2,785,485 Cameron Mar. 19, 1957 

